Immortality begins with raising apprentices

Chapter 185 Crossing the Heart Seed

Mao Qingzhu's voice was gentle and moving, but the protective tone in her words made Duan Ling pause in surprise.

Ye Di?

This Deacon Chen actually has such a beautiful older sister?

Curiosity is human nature, especially when it involves a beautiful woman.

Unfortunately, after Mao Qingzhu suppressed two black-clad men at the late stage of Qi Refining, the remaining black-clad men fled one after another.

Ignoring the sudden appearance of the female cultivator, Duan Ling picked up his magic sword and continued to chase after the remaining men in black.

These people are only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Although they are well-trained, if they were to form an array to fight, they might be able to put up a fight against Duan Ling.

just,

Since Mao Qingzhu, who was at the Foundation Establishment stage, appeared, these people were terrified and fled for their lives, showing no intention of resisting.

Soon, they were all killed one by one by Duan Ling, and in the end, two were captured alive.

"Steward Chen, these two have been captured alive. What should we do with them?"

Duan Ling held the sword, its tip still dripping blood.

The two survivors had their dantian destroyed and their hands and feet severed; their faces were deathly pale, and they were trembling like leaves.

Chen Ye nodded in satisfaction as he watched Duan Ling's decisive and efficient methods.

Having a powerful subordinate by his side is quite convenient, saving him the trouble of running around and personally capturing assassins.

However, the scene was too bloody.

I wonder if Sister Qingzhu, who has always lived in seclusion, can accept this...

Chen Ye glanced at Mao Qingzhu and saw that the gentle woman's brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was dissatisfied.

"Sister Qingzhu, why don't you excuse yourself for a moment?" Chen Ye said softly.

Mao Qingzhu shook her head, her eyes filled with worry:

"Brother Ye, this place is stained with blood and reeks of filth. You'd better not look around any longer, lest you corrupt your mind. Leave the rest to me and Fellow Daoist Duan. Let's go back to the valley first."

Contrary to Chen Ye's expectations, Mao Qingzhu was secretly worried about him.

In her view, Ye Di dealt with those vibrant spiritual plants and trees all day long, tending to flowers and grasses. He had never seen such a scene of swords flashing and blood flying.

Looking at his profile, which was almost too calm, she felt even more pity for him.

"Although he's trying to remain calm, his mind... must be in turmoil."

Chen Ye's lips twitched.

The stereotypes surrounding Lingzhifu in the cultivation world are far too severe.

So everyone thinks they're just an honest guy who only knows how to play with flowers and plants and flirt with girls, right?

Back then, he had amazed everyone on the Lingyin Sect's dueling stage!
"Don't worry, Sister Qingzhu. Have you forgotten that I came up from being a rogue cultivator step by step? I've gotten used to it along the way."

Chen Ye didn't offer any further explanation. Instead, he stepped forward and squatted down in front of the two prisoners who were already terrified.

"Who sent you?" he asked coldly, staring at the two men.

The two men gritted their teeth, preferring death to revealing even the slightest secret.

“Deacon Chen, let me handle this! When I was working at Yunxi Workshop, I often dealt with these cunning and treacherous bandits.”

Duan Ling clasped his hands in a fist salute, and after receiving Chen Ye's permission, he grabbed the two men by the neck and led them to a peach grove nearby.

A moment later, a shrill scream came from the peach grove.

However, Duan Ling, mindful of Mao Qingzhu's earlier frown and the moment her screams began, set up a soundproof array before continuing the torture.

After one stick of incense,
He emerged from the peach grove, still reeking of blood.

"Deacon Chen," Duan Ling reported to Chen Ye with a cupped hand, "They've all confessed. It's... the Wei family."

When he uttered those two words, his face was filled with disbelief.

He knew that Wei Cheng and Chen Ye had a conflict, but he never expected that Lingyin Sect, a major cultivation family, would dare to lay a dirty hand on Manager Lin Song!

They even spent a lot of money to hire three late-stage Qi Refining experts.

Duan Ling wiped his hands and added, "Steward Chen, I recognize these two. They are well-known rogue cultivators in Peach Mountain Village, known as the Black Wind Duo. The two brothers usually engage in murder and robbery, and are notorious for their ruthlessness. After being wanted, they fled to the Qi Kingdom. Unexpectedly, they secretly returned to Peach Mountain Village and were even used by the Wei family."

"I see... It seems that the Black Wind Duo were attracted by the recent turmoil in the Three Thousand Mountains and came here to do some killing and looting."

Chen Ye nodded and pondered for a moment before saying,

“Go and check on that Qi Refining Level 7 cultivator. His cultivation level isn’t high, but he’s the leader of the group. He might be a member of the Wei family.”

Upon hearing this, Duan Ling stepped forward as instructed and carefully examined the corpse of the leader in black. He pulled off the mask from the man's face, and after seeing the unremarkable face, he shook his head.

“Deacon Chen,” he said, walking back with a solemn expression, “this person… is completely unfamiliar. I once guarded Yunxi Ward, and I should have at least a 70-80% impression of the slightly famous rogue cultivators in the two wards nearby, if not all of them. But this person… I have never seen before. There are no tokens in his storage bag either.”

Yes.

Who would bring various tokens that could identify their assassins when they commit murder?

Chen Ye deduced that this person was most likely a henchman of the Wei family, specializing in doing shady work.

In this way, even if they fail, there will be no evidence pointing to the Wei family.

As for the testimony of the deceased cultivator before his death... it was basically useless.

Seeing Chen Ye remain silent, Duan Ling understood what Chen Ye was thinking and sighed:
"It's a pity we don't have any magical artifacts to preserve these remnant souls. Otherwise, if we took these remnant souls to the sect for confrontation, the Wei family would suffer heavy losses, even if they didn't die!"

To preserve a soul, one must possess a magical artifact with spiritual power.

After a person dies, if there is no special magical artifact to preserve their soul, it will soon return to the world and vanish into nothingness.

For example, when Chen Ye created the corpse puppet, it was because the soul had dissipated, so the corpse puppet only had a little bit of instinctive intelligence.

"It's a pity... the Wei family is indeed cautious in their actions." Chen Ye sighed.

He considered turning the two men into corpse puppets as evidence.

However, those corpse puppets, which only possess instinctive intelligence, can utter any words if trained by someone with a discerning eye, making it impossible for the sect to accept their beliefs.

"The State of Qi?"

Mao Qingzhu was slightly taken aback after hearing this.

Upon seeing this, Chen Ye's heart stirred, and he quickly asked, "Sister Qingzhu, have you thought of anything?"

"It's probably overthinking... Generally speaking, most fugitives wanted by sects will flee to Qi. This is because Lingyin Sect is close to Qi, and the sects on the border of Qi are Duqing Sect, which is hostile to Lingyin Sect. Once they escape to Duqing Sect's territory, Lingyin Sect can no longer reach them."

Although Mao Qingzhu is in seclusion year-round, she is of noble status as the eldest daughter of the Mao family and a former core disciple of the Lingyin Sect.

He knows far more inside information than Duan Ling does.

She continued:

"Perhaps you are unaware of this, but within the territory of the Crossing Love Sect, there is no such thing as a so-called rogue cultivator. The Crossing Love Sect uses bloody methods and adopts a high-pressure rule to control all cultivators within its territory, even those who are just children who have just begun their cultivation. And this... is the source of the Lingyin Sect's repeated defeats in its battles against the Crossing Love Sect."

Chen Ye was astonished after hearing Mao Qingzhu's words.

Good guy.

In the cultivation world, are there sects where everyone is a soldier?
It's no wonder that the Lingyin Sect is in a precarious situation.

To be fair, Lingyin Sect is indeed a righteous sect. It manages its territory with care, sends outer disciples to maintain order, and has Foundation Establishment cultivators overseeing the market.

At the same time, it will also provide opportunities for independent cultivators to advance, without excessively exploiting them.

For example, when Chen Ye was a rogue cultivator, he only paid the dust tax to the Lingyin Sect, which was the entrance fee to Yunxifang, five pieces of spirit sand.

If Chen Ye were to take office, he would likely impose transaction taxes and so on...

How could such a soft-hearted sect be a match for the Crossing Love Sect?

"Does Sister Qingzhu mean... that the Black Wind Duo has actually been controlled by the Crossing Love Sect?"

After his initial shock, Chen Ye quickly realized the key point in Mao Qingzhu's words.

"Yes, most likely. The Crossing Love Sect knows a demonic method called the Crossing Purification Seed, which is implanted into the body of a cultivator and controlled by them. Since they came to Yunxi Workshop, they must not have come in private, but were driven by demonic cultivators."

Mao Qingzhu's gaze suddenly fell on Chen Ye.
"Perhaps these two were originally after these spiritual plants, or perhaps... they were after Brother Ye. Their cooperation with the Wei family is just a pretext. Of course, this is just a possibility... After all, someone who can command two Qi Refining Level 8 cultivators is most likely a Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator. Brother Ye shouldn't be the focus of attention for a Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator." Chen Ye's expression was solemn.

Speaking of Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators, Chen Ye still can't forget the female cultivator who kidnapped Qing Jun.

The recent unexpected changes in the Three Thousand Mountains may give this female cultivator another chance to make a comeback!

If what Mao Qingzhu said is true, then the demonic cultivator targeting him is probably an old acquaintance.

"This... I'll go and investigate again!"

Duan Ling's expression changed slightly, and he got up and headed towards the dense forest where the interrogation had taken place.

Mao Qingzhu sighed, "Most likely, those two have already been annihilated..."

As expected, when Duan Ling came out again, he said heavily:
"The Black Wind Duo have already committed suicide! It seems they had learned some kind of self-destructive soul technique. It's just strange, though, why didn't they commit suicide during the interrogation, but only after it was over..."

Chen Ye subconsciously looked at Mao Qingzhu.

Fortunately, this Sister Qingzhu was almost omniscient and immediately replied:
"Assuming these two were cultivators controlled by the Crossing Love Sect, the person behind the scenes must have sensed something was wrong and activated the Crossing Love Seed to kill them directly. Therefore, what appeared to be suicide was actually murder!"

……

After a brief interlude.

Chen Ye and Duan Ling finally delivered the batch of spiritual plants, which had narrowly escaped disaster, to Taoshanfang.

Upon arriving at Taoshanfang, the people in the carriage relaxed.

No matter how rampant the thieves were, they dared not cause trouble in the market.

Besides the Lingyin Sect's businesses, this area also houses businesses from the Wan Kui Sect and the Lingbao Sect, and has no fewer than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Having gone through hardships together, Duan Ling's attitude towards Chen Ye had changed from initial politeness to heartfelt admiration.

In truth, he couldn't help but admire him.

She is skilled in planting spiritual plants, can raise children, and can unleash sword energy and thunderous sound with a single strike.

Finally, there was even a beautiful older sister in the Foundation Establishment stage!
He looked at Chen Ye, who was being shown concern and care by Mao Qingzhu.

In my mind, only one thought remained—

He is determined to hold on to this thigh!
Chen Ye had a difficult situation to explain.

This...this big dumpling is really getting into acting?

Could it be that the time she spent with the little one last night triggered her maternal instincts?
Or was it because he arranged for her to sleep with Qingjun, which made Mao Qingzhu feel grateful, and this was her way of repaying him?

However, Mao Qingzhu is actually younger than me.

Being pampered by girls younger than himself...

This feeling isn't bad at all.

"Brother Ye, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, it's best to stay home as much as possible this month. I will stay in the valley to protect you."

Mao Qingzhu frowned her beautiful eyebrows and hesitated,

"Why don't you come with us to the Xu family? If you don't like the Xu family, you can stay at the Herbal Pavilion in Yuexi Lake Ward. Yuexi Lake Ward is the most prosperous ward in the vicinity. Not to mention Foundation Establishment cultivators, even Golden Core cultivators wouldn't dare to act recklessly."

Chen Ye felt bitter inwardly.

No wonder he felt unwell.

Should we abandon the hard-earned Rin-Song Valley because of a potential threat?
Besides, what will he say to the Lingyin Sect?
Now that he enjoys the benefits of the Lingyin Sect, he has no say in many things.

"Hmm... Sister Qingzhu, could you take Zhiwei with you then? We really can't leave Linsong Valley," Chen Ye sighed.

Mao Qingzhu knew Chen Ye's predicament and nodded her chin with a troubled expression:
"If it is difficult for you, Brother Ye, I can simply stay in Linsong Valley for a few more months until the storm in the Three Thousand Mountains calms down before bringing Qingjun for the baptism."

"Won't this interfere with Qingjun's plans?"

With Mao Qingzhu in charge of Linsong Valley, Chen Ye was naturally at ease, but he was still worried about Qingjun's hidden illness, so he quickly asked her about it.

"Of course not, how could baptism be delayed by such a short time?"

Mao Qingzhu comforted him, then burst into laughter.

"No matter what, I would never joke about Qingjun's health."

Also.

No matter what, his "daughter" was ultimately more important than his younger brother.

Chen Ye was certain.

Through their interactions over the past few days, he had learned that Mao Qingzhu's cultivation level was now at the third level of Foundation Establishment.

Eight years ago, after seeing Qingjun off, she fell ill from grief and devoted herself to cultivation in Shenwu Valley, where she unexpectedly broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

In addition, she was naturally gifted and had successfully broken through to the third level of Foundation Establishment some time ago.

In fact, the reason why Mao Qingzhu had not contacted Chen Ye for the past few months was because she was working on a breakthrough.

As soon as he broke through, he rushed to Taoshanfang.

With the expert Mao Qingzhu in charge, the safety level of Linsong Valley has undoubtedly increased dramatically.

Even if the Wei family is still up to no good and sends assassins again, they'll just be easy prey.

As for the Crossing Love Sect...

Chen Ye's eyes narrowed slightly.

This matter is full of strangeness. It is true that the Black Wind Duo were bribed by the Wei family to assassinate him, but their return to the Lingyin Sect's territory is probably for some other purpose, just as Mao Qingzhu said.

"Whether it's because of me or because of these spiritual plants, this matter cannot be resolved peacefully," Chen Ye thought to himself.

He gazed at the fleeting street scenes outside the window, took a deep breath, and examined the resources in his storage bag.

Very poor.

But it makes sense.

These people come to assassinate, to do dangerous things, they certainly won't take their valuables with them.

If the Black Wind Duo were truly controlled by the Crossing Love Sect, they wouldn't have many resources at their disposal.

These people didn't even bring storage bags!
Fortunately, since they were going to assassinate him, they must have been carrying magical artifacts.

But this magical artifact is the most valuable thing!
There are a total of four first-grade high-quality magic artifacts and more than ten low-grade magic artifacts.

"Hmm? This armor and these gauntlets are quite nice..."

Chen Ye's gaze fell on the two high-grade magic artifacts.

Both of these top-grade magical artifacts came from the leader of the Black Wind Duo.

This person was burly, about two meters tall, and similar in build to Qingzhi.

He also cultivates physical strength, making him extremely powerful in combat, and his defense is astonishing.

Even if Chen Ye were to fight against him, he would probably have to put in a lot of effort.

But who could have imagined that he would meet Mao Qingzhu...

"These two magical artifacts can be worn by Qingzhi, which will increase his combat power to another level."

Chen Ye was delighted and carefully put away the two superior magical artifacts.

After thinking for a while, he took out one first-grade high-quality and six low-grade magic weapons and handed them to Duan Ling:
"Fellow Daoist Duan, since you killed most of the assassins, these magical artifacts should be distributed among you..."

"Thank you, Deacon Chen!"

Duan Ling accepted the magical artifacts cleanly and decisively. He was always efficient and straightforward, and immediately expressed his gratitude.
“But if it weren’t for Senior Mao’s help, how could we have succeeded so easily! But I am in dire need of cultivation resources, so I will not refuse. I will remember this kindness!”

Ok?
This guy worked so hard without ever appreciating my kindness before, and now that he's got so many magical artifacts, shouldn't he be willing to do anything for me?

Chen Ye sighed, but politely replied, "Not at all, this is all what you deserve, fellow Daoist..."

　Thank you to the fisherman who drinks porridge for the 500 coins!

　　Thank you for the 300 coins!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)